Link-mesh machine.



E. F. HANSEN.

LINK MESH MACHINE.

I APPLICATION FILED 1UNE2, 1914. I 1,192,778. AEmma July 25,1915.

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E. F. HANSEN.

v LINK MESH MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 2,19I4.

l 1 912,778. Patented July 25, 1916. l

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EMIL F. HANSEN, OF PROVIDENCE, RHODE ISLAND.

LINK-MESH MACHINn Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented July 25, 1916.

' Application filed June 2, 191,4. Serial No. 842,504.

VW. and C. Gr. Smith. n

The object of this invention is to provide front and rear coperating formers for engaging and shaping a length of wire into the form of a staple, then link said staple with other links and cause one of the formers to bend the staple into a link, and finally to strike a blow against the bent ends of the link to set them positively and permanently in Closed position whereby the ends will more completely and surely abut.

A further object of the invention is to provide a cam adapted to operate one of the forming tools and to provide on this cam a protuberance whereby at the very last end of the inward stroke, the cam causes the i former to strike a blow on the ends of the link to positively set them close together.

It is found in the practical operation of machines of this character, particularly on machines for makinglink-mesh fabric, very diliicult, owing to the wear of the tools and the inherent springin the wire, to bend the link ends so that they will abut and stay in that position when releasedy by the tools. As is wellv known in this art the close abutting of these link ends is mostessential, particularly in the construction of fabric in which the links are designed to be soldered, as it is well known, if the links do not abut,

that when heated, the solder in the core vof the wire, instead of uniting the ends will run out over the wire and adjacent rings and no joint will be made. Applicants invention is designed'to remedy this defect by striking a blow on the ends like a hammer on an anvil after the wire has been bent into position, which blow has the effect of the hammer blow and will set the wire ends firmly in their bent position so that the ends will not again spring out to open the oint when the link is released.

With these and other objects in view, the invention consists of certain novel features of construction, as will be more fully described a-nd particularly pointed out in the appended claims. Y

Of the accompanying drawings: Figure a plan View of one form of mesh form- -1ngmachine showing my improved strikingv mechanism operativelyV connected' thereto.

Fig.` 2 is a sectional side elevation on line 'i2-2 lofi Fig. 1 looking in the direction of the arrow. `F 3i's af'plan viewV showing' the and pressed into one forming tool to j shape vthe, same finto a staple." Fig. 4j showsthe staple as advanced and in the act' of-b'eing inte'rmeshedV with other'links.'y Fig. 5 illusforming tools with the vlength of Vwirecut olf'V trates the tools as having bent the staple into the form of 'a link'and in' position to receive the hammer blow ofthe vactuating cam. Fig. 6 is a detail of the cam showing the protuberance which causes the hammer blow to be struck at the very last endu of the inward stroke.

The general construction of the machine herein illustrated is one form to which my Aimproved mechanism is attached and is 'similar to vthat fullyl illustrated and de- `scribed in thev above mentioned patent, in

which the table 30 of the machine is described as beingv provided with bearings 31 for four shafts 32, 33, 34 and 35. The shaft 32 is'pr'ovi'ded with fast and loose pulleys 36, 37, the fast pulley having a crank or handle V38 by which the machine may be manually operated; and the four shafts are geared together by bevel pinions 39 so that they will rotate in unison. VThe bed 30 falsoVV supports a slide 40 on which is mounted Dthe carriage base 41 having brackets 42 for the shaft 43 of thev work-feeding pinroll 44. The pins 2S are `all lspacedfto engage links of the fabric as illustratedv in Figs. 1

' and 2." Suitably'supported aboveand somewhatl tothe rear of the pin roll isl a box 45 in which the roll of completed fabric may be carried. This boX is merely a convenience and may be replaced by any other suitable mechanism or device for receiving the work after it leaves the pin-roll. With such a box 45 in use the operator,v simply occasionally takes up the slack of thefabricbehind the roll 44 by revolving the roll of fabric in the boX to wind up the fabric.

In Fig. 1 a reel 46 for the wire a, which is employed to make the links, is shown as being suitably supported by a spindle 47. From this reel the'wire is passed between device which may4 comprise any usual or suitable mechanism.

As more fully described and illustrated in the above-mentioned patent the wire is fed intermittently to the machine, is cut in given lengths, is then bent into the form of a staple b, as illustrated in Fig. 3 by the inward movement of the post 50. This post is then withdrawn and the forming tool 51, which extends out rearwardly, see Fig. 1, is engaged and advanced by the cam 52 on the shaft 34 into the position illustrated in F i0'.

`4, where the staple is passed through adjacent links into the rear former 53 which advances on the other side of the mesh to meet it.` This rear former then engages and closes the opposite ends of the staple so that they meet around the forming post 54, which forming post serves als an anvil to support the thrust of the rear forming tool 53 and against which the link ends are bent. This rear forming tool, as best illustrated 'in Fig. 5, is connected to the bar 55 which extends rearwardly across the machine and is slid.

ably supported in bearings 56 and 57, its outer end being provided with an adjusting screw ,58, the head of which is engaged by the cam 59 mounted on the shaft 32. This cam is provided with a gradual rise along Yits working face 61 until at the very end of the rise it is provided with a protuberance 62 which has the effect, as the cam is rapidly rotating, of striking a blow like a hammer against the bar 55, the eiect of which blow is transmitted through the bar to the forming tool 53 to act upon the abutting ends of the link to strike them against the anvil or supporting post 54, whereby these ends are firmly set 'and will remainV in their bent abutting position when released.

In order to somewhat regulate the force or pressure of the forming tool against the bent ends of the link this screw 58 may be adjusted endwise to lengthen or shorten the bar and is locked by the nut 63.

The carriage base 41 supporting the web of link mesh fabric is moved step by step transversely relative to the forming tools, by means of the cams 64 and 65, seerFig. 1,

which intermittently operate the rack bars 66 and 67 respectively, which rack bars are engaged by pawls 68 on the carriage, the reversing of the carriage travel being accomplished by mechanism fully described and illustrated in the above-mentioned patent.

The above is a description of my improved mechanism as attached to the machine fully illustrated and described in the above mentioned patent, but this striking mechanism is not restricted to use on the special construction of machine shown and described, but may be applied' to and operated in connection with any machine for forming links with abutting ends whereby the same may be employed for striking these abutting ends immediately after they are bent.

T claim: o 1

1. ln a machine of the character described, link forming means, a cam for moving said forming means to bend the wire into a link, said moving cam being provided with means for causing the closing former to strike a blow at the last end of its inward stroke to set the link ends permanently in closed position. Y

2. ln a machine of the character described, link forming means, a cam for moving said forming means to bend the wire into a link, said moving cam being provided with a protuberance for causing the closing former to strike a blowat the last end of its inward stroke to set the link ends permanently in closed position. y

3. ln a machine of the character described, link forming means, a cam -iter moving said forming means to bend the wire into a link, said moving cam being provided with means for causing the closing former to strike a blow at the last end of its inward stroke to set the link ends permanently in closed position, and adjustable Vmeans `whereby the force of the blow may be regulated.

lnV testimony whereof l aiX my signature in presence of two witnesses.

EMIL F. HANSEN.

Witnesses:

HOWARD E. BARLOW, A. F. MAGREADY.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for've vcents each, by addressingr the `(lommsaioner ef Patente..

Washington, D. C. y 

